Fins

ABSTRACT

A fin includes a foot pocket and a web extended directly from the front end of the foot pocket, and a web flipper of the fin includes at least one pair of resistance reducing devices having at least one pair of window holes disposed on the web flipper; and a pair of vanes separately and pivotally coupled onto a side of the window hole by its plate and capable of swinging up and sown on a side of the window hole, and the web flipper is divided into left and right hard plates, and a soft material at the middle integrate the two hard plates as a whole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an accessory for swimming or diving, and more particularly to fins to be worn onto the ankles of a human body, and a web flipper of the fins includes a device that can reduce the water resistance of the web flipper and provides a nimble water gliding effect.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, swimmers and divers wear fins on their ankles of both feet to improve the speed and distance of their swimming or diving and achieve the effect of being not exhausted easily. However, the prior art fins as shown in FIG. 6 only includes a foot pocket 1 having a web 2 extended directly from the front end of the foot pocket 1, and a web flipper 20 is purely a piece of flat hard board without installing any device or structure that can assist swimmers or divers to swim forward nimbly and save their physical strength during swimming or diving. Therefore, fins users usually complain about the fins for the shortcomings of wasting much physical strength and being not nimble enough. When fins users wear the foot pocket 1 of the fins for their swimming or diving sports, the web 2 of the fins can effectively increase the propelling area to provide a high propelling efficiency. However, when users kick the legs in the water during their swimming or diving, a side of the web flipper 20 propels water to produce a forward force, and the other side of the web flipper 20 produces a resistance by the sucking force of the water. Thus, if the flipper 20 of the web 2 as well as the water resistance can be reduced, then the web 2 will have a better and strength-saving propelling effect. In the meantime, if the flipper 20 of a web 2 of the fins is divided into left and right hard boards and a soft plastic material is used to integrate the left and right hard boards, then the two hard boards form a different curve and make the web like a fishtail to provide a nimble control effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide fins to be worn at the ankles of a swimmer or diver, so as to reduce the water resistance and make the kicking easier and more strength-saving, and extend the swimming or diving time when the swimmer or diver is swimming or diving in water.

A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide fins to be worn at the ankles of a swimmer or diver, so as to provide a nimbler control effect to the web similar to a fishtail and make the swimming or diving sports nimbler and allow the swimmer or diver swim like a fish.

To achieve the primary objective of the present invention, the web flipper of the fins comprises at least one pair of resistance reducing devices, and the resistance reducing device includes at least one pair of window holes, and a vane separately and pivotally coupled into each window hole and being capable of swinging up and down.

If a swimmer or diver wears the fins on the ankles and kick the legs in water, the vane will automatically shut the window hole to receive a larger force from the web flipper and strengthen the forward propelling force and speed up the swimming or diving. If the swimmer or diver resumes the upper swung legs to their positions, the vane will automatically open the window hole to allow water to flow through, so as to reduce the water resistance and save the strength of the swinging legs and make the swimming or diving easier and save physical strength, and thus such arrangement can extend the time of the swimming or diving sports.

To achieve the secondary objective of the present invention, the web flipper of a fin is divided into two left and right hard boards and a soft material at the middle integrates the two hard boards, so that when a swimmer or diver wears the fins at the ankles and kicks the legs in water, then the two hard boards constitute a different curve which makes the web like a fishtail to provide a nimble control effect, and users can swim like a fish by wearing the fins for the swimming or diving sports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of fins of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of Portion “2” as depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Section 3-3′ as depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a resistance reducing device of the present invention when a vane is in its open state; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of prior art fins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 for the present invention, the shape and the structure of the fins are similar to the prior art fins that include a foot pocket 1 and a web 2 extended directly from the front end of the foot pocket 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the flipper 20 of the web 2 of the fins in accordance with the present invention comprises at least one pair of resistance reducing devices 3. The resistance reducing device 3 comprises at least one pair of window holes 21 disposed on the flipper 20 of the web 2; and a pair of vanes 31 separately and pivotally coupled onto a side of the window hole 21 by its plate 310 and capable of swinging up and down on a side of the window hole 21. If the vane 31 swings upward as shown in FIG. 5, the vane 31 will open the window hole 21 to allow water to flow freely through the window hole 21. If the vane 31 swings downward as shown in FIG. 3, the vane 31 will fully cover and shut the window hole 21, so that water will not be able to flow through the window hole 21.

In FIG. 1, the fins of the invention divide the flipper 20 of the web 2 into left and right hard resin boards 20 a, 20 b, and a soft resin or rubber material 22 at the middle integrates the boards 20 a, 20 b by two sets of mold injection machines or molds to form an integral structure similar to a fishtail, so that a swimmer or diver who wears the fins for the swimming or diving sports can swim like a fish.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 for the preferred embodiment of the invention, the flipper 20 of the web 2 of the fins in accordance with the present invention installs a resistance reducing device 3 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and an axle barrel 211 disposed separately on both sides of the window holes 21 of the flipper 20, and a plate 310 of the vane 31 of the resistance reducing device 3 includes a corresponding axle rod 311. Therefore, the plate 310 of the vane 31 is pivotally coupled into the two axle barrel 211 on a side of the window hole 21 by the axle rod 311 and swung up and down by using the axle barrel 211 as a fulcrum. In the meantime, the vane 31 disposed on a side of the window hole 21 swinging up and down can limit the angle of openness or fully open or shut the window hole 21. The window hole 21 includes an axle barrel 311 disposed on an upper side of the window hole 21 and at least one corresponding bracket 212 disposed on the opposite side of the axle barrel 311 for supporting the opened plate 310 of the vane 31 as shown in FIG. 5. 

1. A fin, comprising a web directly extended from the front end of a foot pocket, wherein a web flipper of said fin comprises at least one pair of resistance reducing devices, each having at least one pair of window holes disposed on said web flipper and a pair of vanes separately and pivotally coupled onto a side of said window hole by its plate and capable of swinging up and down on a side of said window hole.
 2. The fin of claim 1, wherein said web flipper is divided into left and right hard boards and a soft material at the middle integrates said two hard boards.
 3. The fin of claim 1, wherein said resistance reducing device further comprises: two axle barrels, disposed on both sides of said window hole on said web flipper respectively; and an axle rod, installed on one side of said plate of said vane of said resistance reducing device; such that said vane is pivotally coupled into said two axle barrels on a side of said window hole by said axle rod on a side of its plate, and upward and downward swinging motion are performed by using said axle barrel as a fulcrum.
 4. The fin of claim 1, wherein said resistance reducing device further comprises: at least one bracket, installed on an upper side of said window hole of said web flipper; and a flange, disposed at a lower edge of said window hole of said web flipper. 